The Latest News from ACA

ACA Kicks Off LGBTQ Counseling Event by Honoring Rep. Ted Lieu

Jun 08, 2017

Congressman Lieu of California will accept an award for his efforts to ban conversion therapy for minors during the opening reception of Illuminate.

ACA is honoring Congressman Lieu for his work in the California State Senate and in Congress to ban conversion therapy for minors. He introduced the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act, which classifies commercial conversion therapy and advertising that claims to change sexual orientation and gender identity as fraud. The bill empowers the Federal Trade Commission to enforce this legislation, and would also open practitioners up to civil litigation. It affects the for-profit conversion therapy industry, and contains important protections for religious liberty and freedom of speech.

Last spring, President Obama proclaimed June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. ACA's Illuminate symposium, which runs June 8-10 in Washington, DC, was created to empower the LGBTQ community, and counseling professionals who work with members of the LGBTQ community.

At the heart of this historic event is a powerful new training guide, "Counseling LGBTQ Adults Throughout the Life Span,” which will be distributed to all attendees. The guide was thoughtfully compiled by ACA President Catherine B. Roland, Ed.D., LPC, NCC and members of her 2016–2017 LGBTQ Targeted Task Group. Content will cover counseling individuals and families in the LGBTQ community, as well as supervising students and pre-licensed counselors working with members of the LGBTQ community.